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The Sponge Population of the Cabrera Archipelago (Balearic Islands): Characteristics, Distribution, and Abundance of the Most Representative Species
Author(s) -
Uriz María Jesús,
Rosell Dolors,
Martín Daniel
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
marine ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.668
H-Index - 58
eISSN - 1439-0485
pISSN - 0173-9565
DOI - 10.1111/j.1439-0485.1992.tb00343.x
Subject(s) - archipelago , abundance (ecology) , cave , ecology , species richness , geography , biology , sponge , benthos , benthic zone , paleontology
. The abundance, distribution, and species richness of the littoral sponges (0–55 m) from the Cabrera Archipelago (Balearic Islands) were studied along light gradients from the surface to the sea bottom and from cave mouths to their inner parts. A total of 98 species (11 Calcarea and 87 Demospongiae ) were recorded, 8 of which are new records for the Spanish coast. Cluster and correspondence analyses enabled the identification of a sciophilous sponge group including three subgroups: sponges found only in semi‐dark cave habitats, a subgroup common to the coralligenous, precoralligenous, and semi‐dark cave biocoenoses, and a third subgroup exclusive to the coralligenous biocoenosis. A small number of photophilic species and other species having a wide bathymetric distribution made up another separate group. No species clusters for the different semi‐sciophilous (either fleshy or carbonate) or photophilic seaweed communities were discernible. The number of sponge species was negatively correlated with the irradiance level.